Salt Lake Herald-Republican | 1918-02-23 | Page 1 | Jericho is Captured by British with Ease

JERICHO IS CAPTURED G BY BRITISH WITH EASE E City Famed in hi Biblical Days Occupied With WIth but hut Small Opposition Victory Has Little ittle Practical Value r a 1 u 11 e TURKS AR UNABLE TO CHECK CHE K BRITONS f Christians S Sweep Forward in Steady Progress og ss to East ast and North he heT 4 T Taking a k i i n 11 g of ol J Jerusalem L ONDON Feb 22 The The British have captured 1 Jericho in ill Palestine Palestine Pales Pales- tine the war office c reports The city was vas entered by Australian troops yes yes- Little opposition was Subsequently the time Australians established hed themselves them e e on n the thc line pE pt 9 the tho Jordan In nd ib Wa i Thc r l 1 r ih continuation of or bad weather h and northwest of or Jerusalem tho the British nd I slightly 1 and rendered d secure I e. e I D During the fighting Wednesday the casualties of oC the British troops were again slight Move 0 North rind nod I Since the time capture o of Jerusalem the time British have ha been pushing ahead steadily stead stead- il ily ib striking out to the north and east Official statements from London In the lart few tew days das have reported rapid pro progress ress S. S aDd apparently the tue Turks s have ha of offered of- of Cored fored no determined resistance Aside from its historical importance c cIn in connection with with- the British h plan to free the time hol holy land from time the domination domina domilla- tion of the time Turks Tunics the time capture ture of or Jericho Jericho Jer Jar icho Is Of tf little significance e. e It consists con on- on mere merely of a group roup of ot squalid hovels hov hor- O els cia and a few shops with about aboul in In- In Ii habitants a b I t a a Is Controls Control Y Valley y of or Its chief strategic lc value alue lies In the time fact that It gives i cs the British domina domination tion of ot the valley of the time Jordan Jor an and andallo also allo control of a network of ot hl highways hwa's radiating from from the thc town A further ad adVance advance advance ad- ad vance eastward of oC twenty five miles however howe would take tale tho timo British to th the railway v from crom Damascus to Mecca ecca which would cut cut off the thc Turks Turks' line of communication communication com coin with Arabia and greatly s assist the revolting re Arab tribes which are arc operating co-operating with the British Jericho Jer icho Is near the northern extremity of oC the Dead sea fourteen miles northeast of or Jerusalem Ti 11 r Jericho ho which was 18 sit sll- A. A r tiMed to the west wesl of the tile modern Jer Jer- Jericho icho was a town of considerable t siz size ize Jer-I Jer It was time the first Canaanite city ell to be re reduced reduced reduced re- re by the Israelites IsraelIte who the time Biblical Biblical cal story relates a encompassed ell Its de destruction do- do b by the blowing of oC trumpets I dc-I